On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Georgia men’s basketball defeated Georgia Tech 76-62 at home, marking the team’s fourth straight win. Georgia hasn’t trailed once this season and remains undefeated at home. Georgia State improved to his 6-3, while Georgia Tech fell to his 4-3.
Georgia enters the game with a home win over Mercer in a stretch of six home games in December. Georgia Tech had just won two straight against Mississippi State and Duke.
Senior guard Noah Thomason led the Bulldogs with 16 points. Justin Hill had 14 points, and Jabri Abdul-Rahim and Blue Kane each had 12 points.
The story of the game was Georgia’s stifling defense that held Georgia Tech to 24-for-75 from the field. After Georgia Tech shot 9-34 in the first 20 minutes, Georgia entered halftime up 36-20.
“Coming off of one of the best weeks in college basketball, I thought we defended at a really high level against a team that is really tough to defend,” head coach Mike White said.
The main contributor on defense was freshman guard Silas Demaree Jr., and when Demarie was on the floor, Georgia State outscored Georgia Tech by 19 points, the highest total on the team. Coach White said one of DeMaree’s biggest strengths is his length and defensive rebounding.
“As a defensive rebounding point guard, he’s got to be one of the better players in that category in our league as a true freshman,” White said.
Georgia didn’t shoot particularly well, shooting 40 percent from the field, but their 3-point shooting improved in the second half, going 6-of-16 from 4-of-17 in the first half.
Kane’s 3-pointer and Frank Anselem-Ibe’s free throws gave Georgia its largest lead of the night at 51-32 with just over 12 minutes left in the game. Kane said he can keep hitting shots because of his confidence.
“I just have to keep a good face and stay confident and I know the shots are going to fall,” Cain said.
Georgia Tech’s 9-0 run gave the University of Georgia back to a 14-point lead, but that momentum was quickly silenced by another Cain 3-pointer.
“I know they look up to players like me and Justin Hill, so if we’re not at our best, how can we expect them to learn from us and grow? I wonder,” Thomasson said of younger teammates like Kane. “The ultimate goal is that when I leave here, they’re better than when I got here.”
On the last day of class for Georgia students, they showed up in droves to Stegeman Coliseum, standing and shouting from start to finish. White said he believes the fans played a role in the game.
“I thought the presence of the crowd was a big factor in helping our defense,” he said.
This season, the student section moved from behind the goal to half court, and the students were sure to make an impact against rival Georgia Tech.
Georgia’s next game is Dec. 16, when the team hosts High Point in another nonconference matchup before SEC play begins in January.